MRI Indicators of Blood-Brain Barrier and Brain Water Changes in Young Rats with Hydrocephalus
Author Information
Author(s): Marc R Del Bigio, Ili Slobodian, Angela E Schellenberg, Richard J Buist, Tanya L Kemp-Buors
Primary Institution: University of Manitoba
Hypothesis
Hydrocephalus induced by injection of kaolin into the cisterna magna of young rats would lead to blood-brain barrier disruption as detected by efflux of small and large lysine-fixable fluorescent dextran tracers into brain parenchyma and by contrast enhanced MR imaging using gadolinium diethylenetriamine penta-acetate (Gd-DTPA).
Conclusion
Hydrocephalus in young rats is associated with random focal disruptions of the blood-brain barrier, but there is no generalized increase in BBB permeability.
Supporting Evidence
- MR imaging showed evidence of Gd-DTPA leakage in periventricular tissue foci but not diffusely.
- Changes in the apparent diffusion coefficients were significant only in white matter.
- Hydrocephalus was associated with transient elevation of T1 in gray and white matter and persistent elevation of T2 in white matter.
Takeaway
The study looked at how a condition called hydrocephalus affects the brain's water content and the barrier that protects the brain, finding that while there are some small leaks, the barrier isn't completely broken.
Methodology
Hydrocephalus was induced in young rats by injecting kaolin, and MR imaging was used to measure various parameters related to brain water content and blood-brain barrier integrity.
Limitations
The study faced challenges in sampling identical regions for all measurements due to the small size of the rat brain and the distortion caused by hydrocephalus.
Participant Demographics
Male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 3 weeks at the time of injection.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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